Dithiandithiol s. s-bis(o, o-dialkyl phosphorodithioate) and its use as an insecticide



DITHIANDITHIOL S, S-BIS(0,0-DIALKYL PHOS- PHORODITHIQATE) AND ITS USE AS AN IN- SECTICIDE Albert H. Haubein, Christiana, Del, assignor to Hercules Powder Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application August 30, 1955, Serial No. 531,598

8 Claims. (Ci. 167--33) This invention relates to new and useful organic thiophosphate compounds and to pesticidal compositions containing the same.

The novel organic thiophosphate compounds of this invention have the general formula Y-Wmil s l 2 in which each R represents a lower alkyl radical.

These organic thiophosphate compounds have pesticidal properties and distinguish themselves in being highly toxic at low concentrations toward certain pests.

The organic dithiophosphate compounds of this invention are made by reacting a dichlorodithiane with a diester of dithi phosphoric acid. The diester of dithiophosphoric acid may be reacted directly with the dichlorodithiane or it may be reacted in the form of its salt or in the presence of materials which sequester the hydrogen chloride set free in the reaction.

The methods of making the products of this invention and methods of using the products as pesticides are more particularly described in the following examples in which all parts and percentages are by weight.

Example 1 Dichlorodithiane was prepared by adding 18 parts chlorine gas over a one-hour period to 30 parts dithiane in about 260 parts carbon tetrachloride while maintaining a temperature of 10 C. The dichlorodithiane produced in this chlorination crystallized in part. Darkcolored crystals amounting to about 16 grams were isolated by filtration. From the filtrate there was recovered by distilling off the carbon tetrachloride a yellow liquid dichlorodithiane amounting to about 30 parts which disv tilled at 145160 C. at 16 mm. and analyzed 40.5%

chlorine.

To a stirred solution of 13 benzene was added at 3040 C. 34 parts 0,0-(diethyl) dithiophosphoric acid. To the resulting salt solution was then added 11 parts crystalline dichlorodithiane prepared as above. The mixture was then refluxed for 3 hours at about 80 C. during which time pyridine hydrochloride separated. At the end of this time, water was added to dissolve the water-soluble salts and the organic layer was further purified by washing first with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and then with fresh water until neutral. After drying over anhydrous sodium sulfate, the solvent benzene was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was topped at 80 C./0.4 mm. The residue, a dark liquid, which was the diethyl dithiophosphate of dithianedithiol, also designated dithianedithiol S,S-bis(0,0- diethyl phosphorodithioate), amounted to about 40 parts and had a purity of about 98.5% based on sulfur analyses.

parts pyridine in 80 parts Patented Oct. 9, 1956 then tested for their toxicity to caged insects and to mites not only by spraying the insects but by spraying the plants alone as well for the purpose of determining residual toxicity. Standard test methods were used for obtaining the results set forth below.

When pea aphids were sprayed with a 0.05% emulsion of the composition of this example and placed on pea seedlings sprayed simultaneously with the same emulsion, there resulted mortality in 48 hours.

Activity tests were also run by spraying lirna bean seedlings infested with two-spotted mites to run oil with 0.005% aqueous emulsion. There resulted 86% mortality to the mites after 5 days. Residual activity on lima bean seedlings infested with mites 26 days after spraying with a 0.1% emulsion showed 100% kill in 48 hours.

Example 2 Dithianedithiol S-(0,0-dicthyl phosphorodithioate) prepared from liquid dichlorodithiane and diethyl dithiophosphoric acid following the procedure of Example 1 gave substantially greater insecticidal results compared to the product of Example 1. A. 0.1% solution gave 14 times greater kill of houseliies as compared with the product of Example 1 and 10 times the kill of Mexican bean beetles at 0.1% concentration as compared with the product of Example 1.

Example 3 Dithianedithiol S-(0,0-di-n-propyl phosphorodithioate) prepared from liquid dichiorodithiane and di-n-propyl dithiophosphoric acid following the procedure of Example 1 gave good insecticidal results against the pea aphid, although lower than those given by the product of Example 1.

Example 4 Dithianedithiol S-(0,0-dimethyl phosphorodithioate) prepared from liquid dichlo-rodithiane and dimethyl dithiophosphoric acid following the procedure of Example 1 gave a product having a toxicity comparable to that of the product of Example 2 against mites and pea aphids.

The organic dithiophosphate compounds of the formula Cita l.

are those in which each R is the same or a different lower alkyl radical such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl, and the butyl radical. The radicals which are efiective are those with 14 carbon atoms in the radical, and those which are especially effective are those with l-3 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical. The preferred compounds are those containing lower alkyl radicals which are methyland/ or ethyl.

In producing the compounds of this invention, the reaction between the dichlorodithiane and the ester of. dithiophosphoric acid or its salt is carried out by heating the two reactants at a temperature at which reaction takes place but below the decomposition temperature in the range of 20 to 200 C., preferably in the range of 30 to C. The reactants may be mixed in any desired order. In order to get complete reaction, it is preferable to use an excess over the theoretical amount of the ester of the dithiophosphoric acid. When the reaction is complete, the excess ester of the dithophosphoric acid is readily removed by washing with water containing sulficient alkali to produce the water-soluble salt.

The reaction is preferably carried out in nonaqueous media. Organic solvents are desirable to aid in control of the reaction. Suitable solvents include benzene, toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, hexane, anhydrous alcohol solvents and dioxane. It is preferable to use hydrocarbon solvents when using an amine salt of the dithiophosphoric acid ester or when using an amine or ammonia as a sequestering reagent. After the reaction is complete, the solvent is readily removed by distillation.

When the diester of dithiophosphoric acid is used as the free acid in the reaction with the dichlorodithiane, hydrogen chloride which is liberated is preferably sequestered by adding a material to combine with the hydrogen chloride as formed. It is convenient to use pyridine for this purpose. However, in its place other tertiary organic amines may be used, and they may be added in equivalent amount at the beginning of the reaction or gradually during the course of the reaction. Likewise, the amine can be reacted with the diester of the dithiophosphoric acid prior to carrying out the reaction with the dichlorodithiane as in Example 1. Amines which can be used include pyridine, tertiary alkylamines such as trimethylamine, tributylamine, triamylamine, dimethylaniline, and the like. Inorganic bases may also be used. These include ammonia, alkali metal hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates, and alkaline earth metal hydroxides and carbonates.

As in the case of organic bases, the inorganic bases may also be used first to form a salt of the ester of the dithiophosphoric acid. When the salt of the ester of dithiophosphoric acid is used as the reactant, it is preferable to use a salt which is soluble in the organic solvent used for the reaction. The organic salts of amines are particularly satisfactory because of the good solubility of these salts in the nonreactive hydrocarbon solvents. When the free acid is reacted with the dichlorodithiane, the alkaline material is preferably added gradually as needed but it can be added all at once if desired. Ammonia is suitably added gradually as a gas, the solids are suitably added in finely divided form.

The dithiophosphoric acid ester is produced by reacting the lower aliphatic alcohol, which is to form a part of the ester, with P255, preferably in a nonreactive solvent such as benzene, toluene, xylene, hexane or cyclohexane and removing the H28 which is liberated. The reaction is carried out at any temperature in the range of 50 to 120 C., selecting the lowest practical temperature without decomposition. If difi'erent radicals are desired for the various R radicals, a mixture of alcohols may be used in the production of the dithiophosphoric acid ester. Likewise, dithiophosphoric acid esters produced from different alcohols can be mixed for use in the reaction with the dichlorodithiane. The esters of dithiophosphoric acid used in preparation of the compounds of this invention are thus made from individual alcohols or mixtures of alcohols having 14 carbon atoms. Included among such alcohols are methanol, ethanol, propanol-l, propanol-2 and the butyl alcohols.

The methods by which the products of this invention are isolated will vary slightly with the reactants used and the product produced. In some instances, the chloride salt split out in the reaction separates and can be filtered off. In other instances, the chloride salt is best removed by washing with water. The excess salt of the ester of dithiophosphoric acid is also removed by the water wash. The benzene or other solvent is then removed by distillation leaving an insecticidally active residue. Further purification by selective solvent extraction or by adsorptive agents such as activated carbon, or clays, can precede the removal of the solvent. Likewise, an organic solvent can be added to aid in the purification by adsorptive agents. However, the product is generally satisfactory for use as a pesticide without further purification.

The compounds of this invention are used as the sole toxic agent in pesticidal formulations or in admixture with other toxicants for modification of the properties of the individual toxicants. They may be used, for example, in admixture with toxaphene, DDT, Thanite, chlordane, rotenone, pyrethrum, and the like in many of the formulations suggested below.

The compounds of the invention are made into pesticidal compositions for use against insects and mites by dilution with an insecticidal adjuvant as a carrier therefor, by dispersing in organic solvent, or in water, or by diluting with a solid insecticidal adjuvant as a carrier. Dispersions containing a surface-active dispersing agent have the advantage of spreading the toxic substance more effectively over the plant surface. Dispersions in organic solvents include dispersions in alcohols, pine oil, hydrocarbon solvents, difiuorodichloromethane, and similar organic solvents. The compounds of this invention are also used in aerosol formulations in which difluorodichloromethane and similar aerosol propellants form the propellant vehicle.

Aqueous dispersions are made up from the compounds of this invention, a surface-active dispersing agent and water as the essential ingredients. The amount of the compounds of this invention in the aqueous dispersions when diluted for spraying of plants will be in the range of about 10% to about 0.001% of the aqueous dispersion.

The aqueous dispersion will ordinarily be made up from a concentrate, and the concentrate will be dispersed in water to the proper concentration for application to the plants to be treated in the field. The concentrate is composed essentially of the compound of this invention and a surface-active dispersing agent. The concentrate may also contain suflicient amounts of organic solvents to aid in efiective dispersion. The amount of surface-active dispersing agent used is usually at least 5% of the amount of toxic compound in the concentrate.

Suitable surface-active dispersing agents for use in the compositions of this invention are those disclosed in Chemistry of Insecticides, Fungicides, and Herbicides (Donald E. H. Frear, second edition (1948), pages 280-287) for use with known insecticides and include neutral soaps of resin, alginic and fatty acids and alkali metals or alkylamines or ammonia, saponins, gelatins, milk, soluble casein, flour and soluble proteins thereof, sulfite lye, lignin pitch, sulfite liquor, long-chain fatty alcohols having 12-18 carbon atoms and alkali metal salts of the sulfates thereof, salts of sulfated fatty acids, salts of sulfonic acids, esters of long-chain fatty acids and polyhydric alcohols in which alcohol groups are free, clays such as fullers earth, china clay, kaolin, attapulgite, and bentonite and related hydrated aluminum silicates having the property of forming a colloidal gel. Among the other surface-active dispersing agents which are useful in the compositions of this invention are the omegasubstituted polyethylene glycols of relatively long-chain length, particularly those in which the omega substituent is aryl, alkyl, or acyl. Compositions of the toxic material and surface-active dispersing agent will, in some instances, have more than one surface-active dispersing agent for a particular type of utility, or in addition to a surface-active dispersing agent, hydrocarbons such as kerosene and mineral oil will also be added as improvers. Thus, the toxic material may contain a clay as the sole adjuvant or clay and hydrocarbon, or clay and another surface-active dispersing agent to augment the dispersing action of the clay. Likewise, the toxic material may have water admixed therewith along with the surfaceactive dispersing agent, sufficient generally being used to form an emulsion. All of these compositions of toxic material and surface-active dispersing agent may contain in addition synergists and/ or adhesive or sticking agents.

2,766,165 5 6 What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent 4. As a new composition of matter a compound of is: the formula 1. As a new composition of matter a compound of s the formula S 5 h 15):] SP-(O R S S g 2 5. A pesticidal composition comprising the compound of claim 1 and an insecticidal adjuvant.

10 6. A pesticidal composition comprising the compound of claim 2 and an insecticidal adjiuvant.

7. A pesticidal comprising the compound of claim 3 in which each R represents an alkyl radical having 1-4 carbon atoms.

2. As a new composition of matter a compound of the formula and an insecticidal adjuvant.

S 8. A pesticidal composition comprising the compound I I 81?) 5 of claim 4 and an msectlcldal ad uvant.

s 1 References Cited in the file of this patent 3. As a new composition of a matter a compound of UNITED STATES PATENTS the formula 2,725,328 Diveley Nov. 29, 1955 5 2,725,331 Haubein Nov. 29, 1955 HEP-400E031 

1. AS A NEW COMPOSITION OF MATTER A COMPOUND OF THE FORMULA
 5. A PESTICIDAL COMPOUND COMPRISING THE COMPOUND OF CLAIM 1 AND INSECTICIDAL ADJUVANT. 